Hundreds with flags and signs initially gathered at the Plaza of the Flags behind the courthouse to rally in opposition to Arizona’s law, which would give state law enforcement officers the authority to verify the legal status of those they suspect are illegal immigrants.

The momentum of the rally picked up about noon, when 300 people representing SEIU Local 1877 came marching into the plaza from the group’s office at 1200 N. Main St. Wearing purple shirts with the words “Justice for Janitors” written on them, demonstrators made a loop outside City Hall before joining other attendees at the central gathering point.

Silvia Hernandez, an internal organizer with the union, said that many of those present are custodians at Disneyland or work nights cleaning some of Orange County’s most prestigious offices.

She said they are here to urge President Obama and legislators to pass some sort of comprehensive immigration reform.

“They (legislators) work for us,” she said. “It’s about time that they do.”

“We need to feel welcome, like other immigrants in the past. People have to remember that. They can’t close the doors on us now.”

At 12:10 p.m., the crowd of about 500 mobilized and set out to march around the civic center, carrying signs that read “We are all pilgrims,” and chanting “Yes, we can!” in English and “Si se puede!” in Spanish.

Under the Arizona law, immigrants who cannot produce documents verifying their immigration status could be arrested, put in jail for up to six months, fined or deported.

“We are going to send a message to Arizona (immigrants) that they are welcome here,” said an organizer Alex Vega of Comite Civico Mexicano. “We are brothers.”

“Arizona is racist. That is not new. Arizona is going to pay the price because we are going to boycott it. We’re not a sleeping giant no more.”

“We’re not terrorists, we’re a people of peace,” Minister Vicente Oliva shouted in Spanish, addressing the crowd. “We have a big task. We’re asking for immigration reform.”

Oliva, whose church is in Santa Ana, has lived in the United Sates for 22 years and says he’s embraced his adopted country.

He spoke at Saturday’s rally, he said, to support his brethren in Arizona.

“This is terrible,” he said of the new law giving police broad immigration powers. “It’s racism. It’s something from the time of Hitler.”

Participants waved signs asking for justice and immigration reform. A majority held Stars and Stripes. There were a few Mexican flags and Santa Ana attorney Anne Marie Healy pointed it out.

“Why are they waving Mexican flags and chanting in Spanish if they are American or want to be American?” asked Healy, who also said that she supports Arizona’s new policy.

Healy said she is angered by those who characterize people like her as racist.

“I’m not a racist,” she said. “I welcome people who come here legally. If you’re going to come to this country, do it legally.”

.Arizona’s new measure has received applause from anti-illegal immigration proponents, who argue that it’s about time a state takes direct action on the issue.

But many who participated in the march, including 23-year-old Diana Diaz, said the new law would be unfair and inhumane. Diaz held up a sign that said: “Army Vet: Am I a Criminal too?”

“I’ve served in the U.S. Army and I was born here, but my parents came from Mexico,” she says. “What about all the kids who are born here and are American citizens? Where will they go if their parents are deported? It just doesn’t make sense.”

Santa Ana resident Roberta Sandoval joined the rally carrying a sign that said “Being brown is not a crime.” She said she came to the rally because, “I’m an educated Latina who’s going to fight for my people. I’m brown and proud of it.”

Several community groups joined in during another march at 3 p.m. Saturday, which started from Sasscer Park at Ross Avenue and 5th Street, down Flower and 6th streets in Santa Ana. The 500-strong crowd, marched under the banner “Another World is Possible.”

Participants chanted slogan against the new Arizona law and held up banners that said “Legalize my Dream” referring to the Dream Act, which aims to legalize undocumented students.

A handful of demonstrators also stood on the 57 overpass at Imperial Highway in Brea, waving signs and cheering their cause to passing motorists, Brea police said.

Activists in cities throughout the country are taking part in rallies advocating for immigrant rights Saturday. They are marching against what they say will have local Latinos living in fear and promote racial profiling.

“The new law doesn’t only affect Arizona,” said Victoria Magdaleno, a 44-year-old Tustin woman who brought her family and children to the rally in Santa Ana. “It affects Mexico and the U.S.”

Magdaleno said she hopes local protests sends a message to Arizona, and that similar policies are not adopted in California.

Deepa Bharath covers religion for The Orange County Register and the Southern California Newspaper Group. Her work is focused on how religion, race and ethnicity shape our understanding of what it is to be American and how religion in particular helps influence public policies, laws and a region's culture. Deepa also writes about race, cultures and social justice issues. She has covered a number of other beats ranging from city government to breaking news for the Register since May 2006. She has received fellowships from the International Women's Media Foundation and the International Center for Journalists to report stories about reconciliation, counter-extremism and peace-building efforts around the world. When she is not working, she loves listening to Indian classical music and traveling with her husband and son.

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